Unstable v 2
by Sharsmoon
Summary: This is the 2nd version which includes what I had completely forgotten about in the first version. Same plot, just more Prussia.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Much of this version is the same, so please bear with the same-ness.**

It was cold. Agonizingly cold.

But, then again, the small country was trekking through Russia in the middle of winter in nothing but a red turtleneck, a black skirt that whipped around her thighs, and fuzzy black boots. Despite being nearly frozen, Reich moved forward against the wind. She was on her way to her _Vater's_ house. Germany was not really her father, but he had been responsible for her existence. If it had not been for the small military base built on a temperate island in the Pacific, she would never been born. Despite being an independent nation, she still deferred to her _Vater_. She visited him at least once a year.

The girl cursed through pursed, frozen lips. She should have taken Ludwig's advice. He always told her to stay out of Russia. He was worried that Ivan would take her prisoner and torture her. She paid no mind to his warnings, wanting instead to get to his house as soon as possible. Her country did not have an airport; only a small runway for emergency landings.

Reich tripped in the knee-high snow and landed face first in the icy, white snow. She cursed loudly, as she lay in the snow. Her breath came out in a white cloud. A shiver ran through her body. She considered simply laying there and waiting for spring. The thought made her laugh, a harsh sound. Tears leaked from her eyes to freeze on her cheek. She was really cold. Really, REALLY cold.

As she began to force her frozen limbs to move, Reich felt a hand grab the back of her shirt and haul her to her feet. She wobbled slightly, as her feet sank back into the snow. The girl, surprised at the occurrence, whirled around to look at who had retrieved her from the snow. A smiling Ivan met her startled gaze.

"You should really wear a coat, da." Ivan said pleasantly. His voice did not quite match the slightly strained smile he was sporting. Reich nodded her head.

"I forgot to grab one when I left the island." She said with a nervous laugh. She had heard of Russia's legendary streak of cruelness. She scratched the back of her head nervously. She was not sure how to proceed. She decided to turn and start back on her way.

Movement behind her and a sudden warmth brought Reich to a stop. She turned to look at Ivan, hands immediately going to the overcoat he had dropped onto her shoulders. She was shocked that the rumored cold-hearted country had given her his coat.

"Remember to wear a coat next time or General Winter will get you." Ivan warned before turning and walking away from the shocked girl.

Reich nodded mutely at Russia's back. Once he was lost in the flurry of snow, she slipped her arms into the sleeves and fastened the large coat. She was practically drowning in the brown coat.

"Thank you." She whispered, hugging the coat to herself. It was warm from Ivan's body heat and smelled of him and blood and sunflowers. It was an interesting smell. She flipped up the collar and started towards Ludwig's once more, thawing within the warm piece of clothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Much of this version is the same, so please bear with the same-ness.**

"_Halt_." A voice commanded, as Reich approached the training ground outside of Germany's house. The men immediately lowered their weapons. Nearly all of them had raised rifle or pistol at the sight of her in the Russian coat. It did not help that it swamped her, obscuring her features from all scattered in the training ground. Only Ludwig's voice had kept them from shooting her.

"_Vater!" _the dirty blond haired girl cried, waving her arm—completely encased in the Russian coat sleeve—in greeting. She ran down the slight incline towards Ludwig, who was wearing a dark green tank top, dark blue pants, tucked into black boots. She flung herself at Germany, who caught her with ease, and spun her around. He dropped her a moment later and commanded his troops to continue their training. They obeyed without a word.

"What is this?" Ludwig asked the girl, tugging on the coat. Reich beamed up at him.

"Mr. Ivan gave it to me. I'd forgotten my coat at home." She said with a slight bob of her head. The German's brows furrowed and a frown marred his features. He closed his eyes and let out a breath, before turning to his modest house and walking towards it. There was no need to make a scene in front of his soldiers. There. Was. No. Need.

Reich followed Ludwig, picking up the jacket to keep it from dragging on the ground and tripping her. Once safely in his house, Ludwig turned on the girl, anger flaring in his blue eyes. The girl flinched away.

"Take. It. Off." He commanded sharply, holding his hand out for her to give him the coat.

Reich took off the coat, but held onto it, folding it over her arm.

"I'm going to clean it and take it back." She said stubbornly. Ludwig's frown deepened and wrinkles appeared in his forehead. The two began to stare each other down. She stubbornly unwilling; He stubbornly unyielding.

The tension was broken ten minutes and no blinks later by Italy. He burst through the door, missing Reich with the door by an inch.

"REICH!" he squealed, throwing himself at her. He was by far older than her, but he acted younger than her. Their stare down broken, the two blinked furiously. Italy, being taller than Reich, made the two tumble to the floor when he flung himself onto her in a hug.

"_Onkel _Italy." She wheezed, trying to breathe past Feliciano's crushing hug. Ludwig shook his head and hauled Italy off Reich, much to her relief. The young country sat up with a cough. She stood with the Russian coat in her arms and walked past Ludwig towards her room. She did not want to listen to him complain nor did she want to listen to Feliciano whine about his brother, who he had been visiting.

Reich trudged up the stairs of the modest house and went directly to her room. She did not spend much time at the German resident, but Ludwig had given her one of the guest bedrooms to make her own. She opened the door to her room and stepped inside. It was a smallish room with a sturdy bed, a nightstand, and a wardrobe. A poster depicting the beautiful white beaches of Reich and the blue-green ocean with a slogan inviting tourists to come and enjoy the peaceful scenery was taped to the wall above the bed. A collection of sea shells stood on top of the wardrobe. The girl dropped the coat onto her bed before plopping down on it.

She sighed and laid back against the covers, relaxing into the downy blanket. She closed her eyes and absorbed the quite of her room. The single window in the room was open, the curtains dancing faintly in the breeze.

Her peace was cut short as a high pitched shriek came from down stairs. Reich winced at the sound and sat up. She stood and glanced at the coat. She'd take it to get cleaned in the morning and then take it to Russia's house the next day. She nodded at her plan and exited her room to see what had caused Feliciano to shriek.

She tromped down the stairs and turned the corner to see Italy standing on a chair waving a white flag as a cockroach skittered across the floor. Ludwig was already in the kitchen, attempting to stomp it. Reich made a face, before laughing. Her family was really strange.

Nothing interesting happened after the cockroach incident. Reich half-way convinced Ludwig to return the coat. She was going to drop it off and leave. Nothing more. Ludwig still did not want to let the girl go to the psychopathic Russian's house, but he relented. He nearly always relented to the girl, even without her blackmailing him with revealing his 'special' magazines to the other countries. It had been an interesting day when she had found his stash of magazines.

The next day also was fairly uneventful. Reich took the coat to get cleaned, baked some blackberry scones using a recipe she had procured from Arthur and improved, and convinced Ludwig to go to Ivan's house alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Much of this version is the same, so please bear with the same-ness.**

Reich arrived at Ivan's house without incident, warm in one of Ludwig's military coats. She had a bag in her left hand that contained Ivan's coat and a tray of blackberry scones that the blonde girl had saved for Russia. She knocked on the door of Ivan's house with her right hand before taking a half-step back and waited for it to open. It took several minutes for the door to open.

Lithuania blinked at island nation, standing before the door with a smile on her face.

"Ah. Ivan isn't home." The nation holding the partially opened door said quietly. He looked over Reich's shoulder worried.

"I brought his coat. He let me borrow it the other day."Reich explained lifting the bag into view. Lithuania chewed on his bottom lip for a moment in thought, before opening the door the rest of the way and letting Reich enter. The girl grinned at the quiet country, as she stamped the snow off her shoes and entered the warm home. It did not even take long enough for her to take off her jacket, before Ivan entered the house.

Lithuania made a squeaking noise as the owner of the house entered covered in blood and snow. Ivan strode past the two countries standing in the small foyer area of the house, a distant look in his eye and his trademark water pipe in his hang. Reich uttered a noise of surprise. She had never seen someone covered in blood before. She immediately dropped the bag in her left hand and thrust off the coat she had half off.

She dashed after the Russian, as Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia merely watched the large Russian man walked to his room. They were used to the sight and knew that it was best to leave the man alone when he came home in such a state. There was no telling what had happened and none of them wanted any receiving end of what went on in Ivan's mind.

Reich entered Ivan's room with a frown on her face. Her help-anyone-in-need side kicked in immediately. She strode to the phased out Russian and started to fuss. She pulled the water pipe out of his hand with some force, setting it on the floor with a clank. The three Baltic countries watched mutely from the door. Reich looked over the Russian not sure if any of the blood soaking his skin was his. She frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. She began to undress Ivan. She unbuttoned his heavy coat, pulling the heavy material off the passive Russian. It did not take long to strip Ivan of his upper garments. He had complied without actively helping. A dull sheen in his violet eyes.

Reich sucked in a breath as she noted the multitude of scars marring the pale, muscled torso of the Russian. She took a deep breath and looked him over for wounds. She only found one.

"Someone get me a bowl with warm water, a rag, and a first aid-kit." She rapped out the instructions, as she focused on the bullet wound Ivan had received. She prodded his side carefully, eliciting a hiss from the man. It did not take long for Lithuania and Estonia to bring her what she asked for. She thanked the two men and opened the first aid kit. She skimmed through the contents. Too bad it was simply a standard first aid kit. She was vaguely expecting there to be extras in it, like pliers, a needle, and such. She left the first aid kit to pick up the rag that the two had provided and dipped a corner into the bowl of water. She wrung it out and gently began to clean around the wound. Blood still spilled down Ivan's pale side.

"Go get me some pliers and a needle and strong thread. Fishing wire would work." The girl directed, as she dug several gauze pads out of the first aid kit and the small bottle of hydrogen peroxide. She ripped open one of the packages and fished out the gauze. She pressed it hard against the wound, making Ivan flinch. Lithuania brought her the things she asked for without dawdling. Reich nodded and got to work. She sanitized the pliers with the hydrogen peroxide, before pressing Ivan into the bed. She leaned her weight on to the Russian.

"I'm going to pull the bullet out." She muttered to Ivan, before taking a breath and plunging the pliers into the wound to retrieve the bullet which was logged rather deeply into his side. Ivan flinched, back arching as much as it could with Reich practically laying on him. His hands clenched, fingers tangling in the bedspread as the pain cut through his daze. He gritted his teeth, as Reich dug into the wound. She located the bullet and clamped the pliers down on it and pulling it out with a piece of Ivan's shirt. She scrambled off Ivan and dropped the pliers on the ground with the bullet and picked up the rag. She dipped it in the water, wrung it out, gathered gauze, disinfected the needle and thread, and climbed back onto the bed. She cleaned the wound with the rag, pressed a gauze pad to the wound to stem the bleeding with her forearm, as she strung the needle. She moved the gauze and laid her body back across his torso. She pushed the skin together and began to sew up the bullet wound, dabbing at it with fresh gauze. It did not take long or Reich to stitch him up. She hadn't stitched too many people up before, but she was very good with her hands. She was also very good at sewing her own clothes.

Reich crawled off Ivan and took the rag in her hand and soaked the cloth in the bowl of water. She wrung it out and began to clean the blood from his side and torso. Once clean, she taped a gauze pad over the stitches and wrapped his torso in a long bandage. She cleaned the blood off Ivan's arms and face and neck, as well. Once completely finished, she sat at the edge of the bed and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. She was tired and strangely exhilarated. She looked at Ivan, who had promptly fallen asleep after she had finished tending to his wound, and took in a deep breath. She stood, scooping the dirty gauze off the bed and dropped them onto the floor. She unlaced and pulled off the Russian man's boots and socks and took off his belt. She left his pants on and began to clean the mess she had made, scrubbing the blood off the floor with the dirty rag.

With the help of the Baltics, she cleaned the mess and made sure that Ivan was tucked into bed. She plopped down in a chair in the dining room, once everything had been taken care of. Reich finally introduced herself to the slightly stunned nations. After a round of introductions, she remembered her bag and went to retrieve it from the foyer. She pulled the container with the scones out of the bag and set it on the table.

"I made this for all of you." She said, taking the lid off the container. The three countries immediately sat up with smiles of awe on their faces. Someone had made something for them. Lithuania and Estonia made coffee and retrieved plates and cups. They set the table, and, when the coffee was ready, the four ate the blackberry scones and drank coffee. Reich made sure to leave several for Ivan. She had baked them specifically to thank him.

It was during this time of enjoyment that Ivan woke. He swore, as pain coursed through his body. It took him a moment longer to remember what had happened. He had come home and then a strange woman had dressed his wounds. Confusion crossed his features. He did not know the woman who had dressed his wound, but she seemed familiar. Ivan was brought out of his thoughts by laughter. That really confused him. There was laughter in his house? He threw the covers off himself and with a grunt got out of bed. A hand came down to touch the bandage that wrapped around his lower torso and shook his head.

He trudged out of his room, shirtless, and made his way to the dining room/kitchen. The three Baltics immediately froze, as they felt Ivan enter the room. Reich turned to see why they had all frozen, since she was sitting with her back to the hallway that led to the bedrooms. A look of motherly concern crossed her face, as she stood and ushered Ivan to her seat.

"You shouldn't be moving yet." She chided. Ivan looked over the girl who had chided her questioningly. He did not know who this woman was. Why was she in his house?

"My name's Reich." She stated at his questioning look, "I came to return the coat you let me borrow the other day." A look of recognition crossed his face as he remembered.

"The one who forgets to wear a jacket in Russian winter, da." He said after a moment. Lithuania moved Reich's plate and cup and replaced them with a fresh plate and cup filled with coffee. He also placed a glass filled with vodka next to the cup of coffee. Ivan downed the vodka without thought, relishing the burning sensation that he was so used to. The Russian looked over what the others had been eating. He looked at the dish that held three scones. He took one from the dish and took a bite. His face lit up with a small smile. It was delicious.

"You made these, da?" Russia asked Reich, eyes rolling up to meet hers. She nodded with a smile. She had noted his expression of satisfaction, and it warmed her heart. She loved it when people enjoyed her cooking. She looked out of the small window that allowed light to enter the kitchen/dining room area. It was starting to darken. She looked back at Ivan sheepishly.

"May I stay the night?" she asked, softly. She did not want to impose, but she also did not want to make her way home in the dark. Ivan looked up at the blonde nation in thought, before giving a nod and taking another scone from the dish. The three terrified nations merely cleared away their plates and cups. Lithuania and Estonia left Latvia to wash the dishes. He was their little guinea pig, despite the bond the three shared under the abusive hands of Russia.

Later that night after Ivan had eaten and finished a stack of paperwork, the inhabitants of the house took to their beds—Ivan in his bed, the three Baltics in the large bed their shared for Ivan did not allow them separate rooms saying that pets only needed one room with Reich cuddled between Estonia and Lithuania. She had decided to sleep with the Baltics after politely refusing to share Ivan's bed. She knew that her _Vater_ would be less likely to kill her if she slept with the three men rather than with Ivan. She also decided to share the bed with the three nations, because she figured that the Russian would not be able to molest her as easily. It had been a vague warning from Ludwig; Ludwig told her to watch for Ivan's water pipe, him raping her, and the creepy 'I will enjoy this but you will not' smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Much of this version is the same, so please bear with the same-ness.**

Rays of weak sun filtered through the curtains of the Baltic's room, stretching across the room and across Reich's face. She groaned in her sleep and tried to roll over, but she was not able to. Her eyes flickered open. She yawned and brought a hand up to wipe at her eyes. She looked around and noticed that she was trapped between Lithuania and Estonia. They were both wrapped around her, while Latvia was on the floor with half of the blanket. She closed her eyes and relaxed back into the bed. She would extract herself in a few minutes.

It wasn't long before she felt Lithuania moving against her. She turned her head to look at him, as he woke.

"Good morning, sleepy head." She chuckled, as Lithuania's eyes shot open. A look of confusion and surprise crossed his face a second before he realized that he was cuddled up next to her. His face turned red as he moved away from her, sputtering apologies and nearly falling off the bed. His embarrassment woke Estonia.

Reich turned to look at Estonia as he began to shift against her.

"Morning." She said laughter ringing in her voice. Estonia looked at her with surprise, before slipping his arm out from under her and sitting up, turning his reddening face from her. Reich could not help but grinning at the reaction of the two nations.

"Now, that we have that out of the way." She said with a clap of her hand. "Where is the bathroom?" Lithuania stumbled over Latvia, waking him, as he got out of bed and tried to find some semblance of composure. He shook his head slightly, as he looked down at Latvia.

"It's this way." He said, motioning for Reich to follow him. He glanced at his wrist watch and noted the time. Russia would be up in an hour and he still had to make breakfast. Reich climbed out of bed and stepped over Latvia as she followed Lithuania out of the room and down the hall.

Reich thanked Lithuania as he left her at the bathroom and headed back to his shared room to get ready and start breakfast. Reich locked the bathroom door after herself and washed her face and rinsed her mouth out with water. She wished that she had taken some essentials with her, since she had planned to stay at Russia's house for a bit before heading back to Germany's house.

She had always been curious about Russia. She had seen him at world meetings and social events, but she had never had the opportunity to speak with him. She usually hung out with other island nations, though there were some large countries that she had come to know rather well—mainly those in her Vater's circle.

She finished freshening up and exited the bathroom. Reich looked around as she wandered through the house. It was rather plain, but she could see little personal touches here and there. The house rather reminded her of Ludwig's, though her father's house looked more lived in, since Italy usually came over when he had the chance.

Reich wandered in the kitchen to see Lithuania hard at work cooking breakfast. She snickered slightly at the sight of Toris in a frilly, pink apron as she moved to see what he was cooking.

"Is there anything I can help with?" she asked as she looked at what he was cooking—eggs, sausage, French toast, and bacon. Lithuania glanced up at her and was about to decline her help, but neither Estonia nor Latvia were anywhere in sight.

"Could you please set the table? Plates are in that cupboard, Cups in that one, and silverware is in that drawer. Set the table for five." He said pointing out where everything was. Reich nodded and began to set the table. By the time she was finished, the other two Baltic nations had entered the kitchen/dining room and were putting on the table the rest of the stuff. Lithuania poured a shot of vodka and set it down next to Russia's plate a moment before the nation ambled into the room.

"Good morning." The four nations chimed nearly in unison as Russia sat down. Russia took his shot of vodka before looking up at the four nations that were now sitting around him. He blinked at Reich, slightly confused at why she was still at his house. He shook his head slightly and started putting food on his plate. The others started to eat as well.

"Did you sleep well?" Reich asked about halfway through breakfast. Russia looked at the nation for a long moment before returning to his food. He rarely slept well. He usually dreamt nightmarish dreams that would trap him in their grasp. Reich frowned slightly at the silence. She could feel an undercurrent of tension in the surrounding nations. She had felt it the entire time she was at Russia's residence. Once breakfast was over, Reich volunteered to help Estonia clean the dishes.

The two collected the soiled dishes and cleared away the table, while Russia took his leave. Estonia glanced over at Reich as she began to hum to herself as she put things away.

"You are Germany's?" he asked after a moment of thought. Reich paused slightly in what she was doing as she replied.

"He is my father, but I have been independent for quite some time." She replied with a slight nod. They finished the rest in silence.

"I should go before Ludwig comes crashing through the door looking for me." She said with a chuckle. Estonia smiled at the statement, while Lithuania frowned in worry. He did not need the German country to come bursting into Russia's home. It would be bad for all three of them.

"Come visit anytime." Lithuania said with a slight smile. He was grateful for her help and enjoyed the nation's company. Reich promised that she would visit soon. She then went to Russia's office to tell him that she was leaving. She rapped on the door and entered when Russia bade her enter. She closed the door behind herself and moved into the office. The furniture was all done in warm, dark colors and sturdy wood. Russia looked up from a pile of paperwork, surprised to see Reich standing before him.

"Is there something you needed?" he asked, glancing down at the paperwork on his desk.

"No. I came to say that I was leaving. Bye, Ivan. I'll see you around." She said, before turning to walk back out the door. Russia watched the strange nation leave, shaking his head slightly with a small smile on his face. She was a curious nation.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Much of this version is the same, so please bear with the same-ness.**

Reich returned to Germany's house and was immediately tackled by a teary-eyed Italy. She held her ground as she wrapped an arm around him.

"What's the matter, Feliciano?" she asked, worried that something bad might have happened.

"I was so worried when you didn't come back." He whined, grasping her shoulders and shaking her slightly in his worry. Reich let him continue as she sighed.

"It's fine. It was really late so I stayed over. Nothing happened." She said looking around for Germany. "Do you know where Ludwig is?" she asked after a moment. Italy sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve, as he let go of her.

"Germany is at a meeting with his boss." Reich nodded and pushed past Italy to go up to her room. She needed to change out of her slept in clothes and brush her teeth. By the time she finished changing, Ludwig returned from his meeting. She bounded own the stairs just in time to see her Vater unbutton his suit jacket and loosen the tie around his neck.

"How was the meeting?" she asked approaching him. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking up at her. Her smile slipped slightly at his expression. He looked worried and resigned.

"Reich, we need to talk." He said motioning for her to follow him to his office. Reich frowned. What had him so upset? What did it have to do with her? Was there some sort of trouble? These thoughts and more ran through her mind as she followed Ludwig into his office.

She closed the door behind herself. She wandered around the small room, as Ludwig discarded his tie and suit jacket. He plopped down in his office chair and ran his hand through his hair once more.

"Please, sit." He said after a moment of silence. Reich sat without a word and folded her hands in her lap as she waited for Ludwig to spring the bad new, for it could only be bad news if he was this upset. She waited with bated breath for Germany to start.

"You have been independent for some time." Ludwig began, "There is nothing that my bosses have asked from you, but the paperwork for your official independence were never signed. You are still a part of me. I—"He paused and looked down at his desk as he thought about what he was about to ask of the nation that he considered a daughter, "I have been ordered to give you to Russia." Reich's brow furrowed in confusion.

"I'm being given to Russia?" she asked in shock. She did not care about not having officially had her independence. It mattered little to her, since she mostly followed whatever Germany did anyway. Ludwig nodded solemnly.

"My boss believes that there may be another war brewing. He believes that Russia will initiate it. He wants you to be a—"Germany made a face, "show of goodwill from me. He also wishes for you to report what you hear." Reich looked at Ludwig, trying to wrap her head around what he had just told her. It was incredulous. Another war. The world had just been engulfed in war. For the nations, many of the wounds were still fresh. She ran a hand through her long hair as she processed what Germany had just told her.

"I am to be a spy while living at Russia's house?" she asked at last. Ludwig nodded.

"You are to go to Russia as soon as possible." He said with finality. Reich sighed and stood. She moved around the desk and put a hand on Germany's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Vater. I will be fine." She smiled, "I'll be back before you know it." She was optimistic, though she was reluctant to become one with Russia. She dropped a kiss on Ludwig's forehead and exited his office. She would have to make several calls and pack.

As she left Ludwig's office, she ran right into Italy who had been listening at the door. He stood in the hallway, sedated.

"You are a-going to Russia's house?" he asked softly. Reich nodded.

"I'll be fine, Feliciano. Don't worry." She started past him but stopped. "Please take care of Vater, while I'm gone." She said looking up at Italy. He nodded, and she moved past him wiping her eyes. She just had a little something in them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Alrighty, so now things are going to change. As for the other version, I will upload as soon I get my laptop, since I'd rather upload everything in one go, rather than work on one chapter at a time. I don't want to be rushed.**

A few calls and a suitcase later, Reich approached Russia's house once again. She had steeled herself for her task. She would be living with Russia and the Baltics for an undetermined amount of time from this point on. She hoped that the other nation's assumptions of Russia were false, though she knew much of what they said could very well be true.

She knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to open the door. Lithuania opened the door and ushered her inside. Russia had told him to expect a country to be coming by. She moved into the small foyer and sighed.

"It seems that visit was closer than expected." She said with a slight smile. Lithuania nodded, though he knew she was not there for a simple visit.

"Russia is expecting you." He said keeping his eyes on the ground. He was scared for the island nation, though he did not know what Russia had in store for her. Russia could be abusive or loving; though Russia's sadistic side was more prevalent. He shuddered as his thoughts flashed to the punishments that he had received at the hands of Russia.

Reich followed Lithuania into the house and to Russia's office. Lithuania knocked on the door and opened it when Russia bade them to enter. He entered with Reich and closed the door. He moved around Reich and retrieved the dirty dishes that had been shoved to the edge of the desk, as she approached the desk and dropped her suitcase at her side once she stopped.

"Germany said that I would be living with you from now on." She said as Russia sat back in his chair and regarded her with a slight smile. His eyes roved over her as his mind went to work. She would be an excellent addition to his pets.

"What are your skills?" he asked after a moment.

"I can cook, clean, sow. Basically, any kind of housework or anything having to do with using your hands." She replied. She felt more like an indentured servant than a nation at the moment. It was an unsettling feeling, though she would have to bare it for the moment.

"Do you fear me?" he asked after a moment of silence. Reich shook her head.

"Uncle Prussia told me not to fear you before he disappeared." Russia's eyes flashed dangerously at the mention of Prussia. He stood and moved around the desk towards the island nation, backing her up against the wall. He leaned down to look her in the eyes.

"What else did he tell you?" Russia's voice was hard.

"Nothing. He kissed me, told me not to fear you, and walked away." she replied, recaping the morning of the day that Prussia vanished. Russia's eyes narrowed.

"When was this?"

"The day he disappeared." she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, "I knew that he was going to disappear." she muttered softly. Russia's frown deepened. The temperature in the room lowered several degrees.

"You knew?" He hissed the words. Reich nodded. Suddenly, she found herself a foot off the ground with Russia's hand clamped around her throat.

"You knew!" He spat the words at her as he squeezed. Reich brought her hands up and grabbed at Russia's wrist, gasping for breath. He brought her towards himself and roughly kissed her. Reich struggled against him, not because of the bruising kiss but because she couldn't breathe. Russia let go of her and she collapsed to the ground gasping for air.

"You taste just like he did before he vanished." she said between breaths, "Like fear, anger, and resignation." Russia looked down at her with a furrowed brow.

"Get out!" he screamed, clutching his head. Reich scrambled to her feet, grabbed her suitcase, and rushed out of the room, nearly knocking over Lithuania, who was just about to open the door to Russia's office.

"Reich?" Lithuania moved after the nation as she moved down the hallway. He caught her by the arm, stopping her. Reich sank to the ground, bringing Toris with her.

"What happened?" Asked Lithuania looking her over for any injuries.

"I told Russia that he tasted like Prussia right before he disappeared." Lithuania sucked in a breath.

"Mentioning Prussia is a no-no." he said softly. "Come on, I'll show you were you'll be staying." He said, trying to change the subject. Reich nodded, gratefully. She stood and Lithuania took her suitcase from her. He led her to the room he shared with his brothers. It was the room reserved for Russia's 'pets'. Once they had dropped off her suitcase, he showed her the rest of the house.


End file.
